1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for cutting a web member that has a plurality of fibers including tows.
2. Related Art
A conventional cleaning web member is known into which a handle member is inserted to make the web member usable for cleaning of a tabletop and the like (JP 2005-40641A). Such a cleaning web member has a main body in which a plurality of fibers are layered on a base sheet. As the fibers, used are thermoplastic fibers, called tows.
In the production line of the cleaning web member, a plurality of tows whose fiber direction is in a transport direction are secured by means such as welding to a base sheet that is continuous along the transport direction. Thus, a web member that is continuous in the transport direction is formed as a semi-finished product. Finally, this web member is cut at a product pitch along the transport direction so that single-cut cleaning web members are manufactured.
As a method for cutting this web member, the cutting apparatus disclosed in JP 2011-62802A can be considered. That is to say, the web member is cut by passing the web member through a space between a cutter roll and an anvil roll and pressing the web member between the cutter blade and the receiver blade. The cutter roll has a outer circumferential face having a cutter blade, and the anvil roll has a receiver blade that receives the cutter blade.
However, the tows used in the web member are thermoplastic fiber. Therefore, tows are attached at the target cut position by welding or compression-bonding because the web member is pressed between the cutter blade and the receiver blade during cutting. This may cause a trouble that the cut edges is bound to each other in loops, which results in deterioration of the performance of the brush section (dust trapping performance during cleaning).
Furthermore, if the cut edges are bound to each other in loops, bulkiness of the cleaning web member decreases, which also lowers the performance of the brush section.
Furthermore, due to contact of the cutter blade with the receiver blade during cutting, the cutting edge of the cutter blade is likely to be worn, which shortens the life of the cutter blade.